Apparatus and process for metal oxides and metal nanoparticles synthesis

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an approach to control the generation and grow of nanocrystal with membrane diffusion method and related apparatuses to produce inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles. With this method, the size and size distribution of inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles can be tuned. It overcomes the shortcomings possessed by the common chemical and physical method of preparing nanoparticles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit of China application No. 200610088817.4 filed on Jul 19, 2006, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for synthesizing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles (colloid). The nanoparticles can be used as precursors to prepare nanocatalysts and nanomaterials.

2. Description of Related Art

Nanoparticle is accumulation or cluster of atoms about 1 to 100 nm length and increasingly important material used in various areas ranging from nano-technology, non-line optics, diode laser, smart sensor, information store, gene sequencing to catalysis. During the past decades, a lot of methods have been developed for preparing nanoparticles. For example, Microwave/sonication-assisted Coprecipitation, Sol-Gel Process, Hydrothermal/Solvothermal methods, Templated Syntheses, Revise Microemulsion, Hydrolyzation, and Spray Pyrolysis have been used to synthesize metal oxide nanopowders; Vapor Deposition, Mechanical Attrition, Laser Ablation, Electrochemical Reduction, Radiolysis Reduction, Chemical reduction, and Alcohol Reduction have been employed to prepare metal nanoparticles. However, some methods mentioned above require very expensive equipments, some of them lack the ability in the precise control in the generation and growth of nanocrystals, resulting in the wide distribution of nanoparticle size. In addition, some chemical methods often involve reduction of the relevant metal salts or decomposition of organometallic precursor in the presence of a suitable surfactant that is expensive.

In order to control precisely the generation rate and growth of nanocrystal for preparing nanoparticles with narrow size distribution, several new apparatuses and processes have been developed recently for the synthesis of nanoparticles, especially for the synthesis of metal nanoparticle.

Microfluidic system has been proven to be an idea medium for nanoparticles production because both mass and thermal transfer are rapid and then the nucleation of solute molecules and growth of nanocrystal can be precisely controlled (Nature, 442, 27 Jul. 2006). Wagner used microchannel reactor to generate Au nanoparticles with the size of 11.7 nm±0.9 nm (Chemical Engineering Journal 101 (2004) 251-260). Although microfluidic method can be used to produce nanoparticles with narrow size distribution and get great attention, it is insurmountable difficult to use it to prepare metal nanoparticles in large-scale.

In summary, the available methods of preparing inorganic metal oxide and metal nanoparticles, especially for metal nanoparticles, are very costly and difficult to produce nanoparticles with narrow size distribution in large-scale.

Accordingly, there remains a great need for fabricating methods of inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles with narrow size distribution. There also remains a need for methods to control growth of inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in the process of mass-production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an approach to control the generation and growth of nanocrystal with a membrane diffusion method and related apparatuses to produce inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles. With this method, the size and size distribution of inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles can be tuned. It overcomes the shortcomings possessed by the common chemical and physical method of preparing nanoparticles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and/or other aspects and advantages of the present apparatus will become apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus referring to batch reactor for preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the batch reactor with ceramic or polymer micro-membrane tube unit installed inside of it.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an apparatus referring to a tubal reactor for mass-preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the tubal reactor used for mass-preparing nanoparticles, inside of which a ceramic or polymer micro-membrane tube unit is installed.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are a schematic view of an apparatus referring to a tubal reactor for preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of an apparatus referring to the tubal reactor for preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an apparatus referring to assembled tubal reactors in parallel connection for mass production of inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles.

FIG. 9 is a SEM (Scanning electron microscope) image of the Ce_(0.6)Zr_(0.4)O₂ nanomaterial that was prepared by the method described in the invention.

FIG. 10 is a SEM image of the Ce_(0.6)Zr_(0.4)O₂ nanomaterial that was prepared by common coprecipitation method.

FIG. 11 is a TEM (transmission electron microscope) image of Ag nanoparticles produced according to the batch reactor used in the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a TEM image of Ag nanoparticles produced according to normal chemical reduction method, i.e. the Ag nanoparticles was generated by dropping the NaBH₄ solution into a mixture solution of AgNO₃ and Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP).

FIG. 13 is a TEM image of Au nanoparticles produced according to the batch reactor used in the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a TEM image of AuRh alloy nanoparticles produced according to the batch reactor used in the present invention.

FIG. 15 a TEM (transmission electron microscope) image of Ag nanoparticles produced according to the tubal reactor used in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe in detail of the apparatus for producing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an apparatus 100 for producing inorganic oxide nanopowder and metal nanoparticles according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown. The apparatus 100 includes a stirrer 1, a batch reactor 2, a micro-membrane tube unit 3, an ultrasonic generator 4, a container 5 and a measuring pump 6. The micro-membrane tube unit 3 is installed in the batch reactor 2. The micro-membrane tube unit 3 is composed of a tube holder 9 made of teflon and a Polyethersulfone membrane tube that is fixed on the tube holder 9. As an example, the inner and outer diameters as well as the length of a specific Polyethersulfone membrane tube used in one embodiment of this invention are 0.7, 1.3 and 4000 mm, respectively, with the tube wall thickness of 0.3 mm and micro-hole diameter of 0.04 μm on the tube wall. One end of the Polyethersulfone membrane tube is sealed, for example, by epoxy resin and the other is open as inlet 7 that is connected with the measuring pump 6 by a tube line. An oar 8 is installed at the end of the stirrer axis that reaches into the space surrounded by the micro-membrane tube unit 3. As the apparatus 100 is employed to synthesize inorganic metal oxides nanopowders and metal nanoparticles, the batch reactor 2 is set up with the ultrasonic generator 4. The measuring pump 6 is linked with container 5 with a tube line.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, an apparatus 200 with a tubal reactor 2 for mass-production of inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown. The apparatus 200 includes a stirrer 1, a tubal reactor 2, a micro-membrane tube unit 3 which can be made of ceramic or polymer, or other suitable materials, an ultrasonic generator 4, a container 5 and a measuring pump 6. The tubal reactor 2 is connected with the ultrasonic generator 4 and has one outlet 11 at one end and two inlets 10 at the other end of the tubal reactor 2, one inlet 10 is connected to the measuring pump 6. The micro-membrane tube unit 3 with a stirrer 1 is installed inside of the tubal reactor 2. The micro-membrane tubes 3 are fixed, for example by epoxy resin, on two seal caps 13 that are used to seal the reactor 2. One end of the micro-membrane tube is also sealed by the seal cap 13 and the other is open as an inlet 7 that is linked to inlet 10 of the tubal reactor 2 via a cavity 12 and to the measuring pump 6 via the inlet 10. The measuring pump 6 is connected with container 5 by a tube line.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, an apparatus 300 for producing inorganic oxide nanopowder and metal nanoparticles according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown. The apparatus 300 includes a tubal reactor 2, a micro-membrane tube unit 3, an ultrasonic generator 4, two containers 5, a measuring pump 6 and a peristaltic pump 14. The tubal reactor 2 has two inlets 10 and one outlet 11, one of the inlets 10 is connected with the first container 5 and the other inlet 10 is connected to the measuring pump 6 that is linked to the second container 5. The outlet 11 is linked with a peristaltic pump 14 that is also connected with container 5. The peristaltic pump 14, first container 5 and tubal reactor 2 form a loop-way. The micro-membrane tubes 3 are fixed, for example by epoxy resin, on two sealed caps 13 that are used to seal the butal reactor 2. One end of the micro-membrane tube is also sealed by the seal cap 13 and the other is open as an inlet 7 that is linked to inlet 10 of the tubal reactor 2 via a cavity 12 and to the measuring pump 6 via the inlet 10. The measuring pump is also connected with the second container 5 by a tube line.

Referring to FIG. 7, the micro-membrane tube unit 3 comprises micro-membrane tubes that are made of ceramic or polymer materials and located at a circle line around the dummy central axis of the tubal reactor 2.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the micro-membrane tube unit 3 comprises micro-membrane tubes that are made of ceramic or polymer materials. The micro-holes are formed on walls of the micro-membrane tubes, and the size of the micro-holes on the walls of the micro-membrane tubes is ranged from 0.03 to 0.3 μm. One example of the ceramic micro-membrane tubes is that made of α-Al₂O₃. The inner and outer diameters as well as the length of a specific ceramic micro-membrane tube used in one embodiment of this invention are 3, 4 and 200 mm, respectively, with the tube wall thickness of 0.5 mm and micro-hole diameter of 0.04 μm. The polymer micro-membrane tubes can be made of a polymer material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethermide, polysulfone, Polyethersulfone and polyvinylidene fluoride.

Referring to FIG. 8, as the butal reactor 2 being employed, an advantage of the invention is that the yield of inorganic oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles can be enhanced simply by increasing the number of butal reactors 2 without the negative effect caused by expanding the volume of reactor.

Referring to FIG. 1, a method of preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles is the process described as the following:

-   (I) The desired metal precursor(s) is (are) dissolved in distilled     water in the presence or absence of a protective agent. The solution     of the desired metal precursor(s) is transferred into the batch     reactor 2, the solution of a reductant/precipitator is transferred     into the container 5; -   (II) The solution of the precipitator or reductant stored in     container 5 is injected into the lumens of micro-membrane tube unit     3 via the measuring pump 6 from the inlet 7 of the micro-membrane     tube unit 3 at a desired flow rate, temperature, stirring speed and     a desired supersonic frequency, and then diffuses into inside of the     batch reactor 2 via the micro-holes distributed on the wall of the     micro-membrane tube unit 3. In reactor 2, which contains a solution     of a metal precursor with or without protective agent, the     precipitation or reduction occurs. -   (III) As the invention method is used to synthesize inorganic metal     oxides, the precipitation reaction is carried out for 2-8 hours, and     then the precipitate is filtered, washed with distilled water, dried     in air and calcined at desired temperature for 2-8 hours, giving the     product of inorganic metal oxides nanoparticles. -   (IV) When the inventive method is used to prepare metal     nanoparticles, the reduction reaction is not stopped until 5-20     times amount of reductant as the metal ion amount is injected into     the batch reactor 2. The resulting liquid is a colloid of metal     nanoparticles with narrow metal particle size distribution.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a method of preparing inorganic metal oxide nanopowders and metal nanoparticles in mass scale is the process described as the following:

-   (I) The desired metal precursor(s) is (are) dissolved in distilled     water in the presence or absence of a protective agent. The solution     flows via the inlet 10 that is linked with measuring pump 6 into the     reactor 2 that is used for mass-preparing inorganic metal oxide     nanopowers and metal nanoparticles; the solution of     reductant/precipitator is transferred into the container 5; -   (II) The solution of precipitator/reductant driven by a measuring     pump 6 is injected through the inlet 9 and inlet 7 into the lumens     of micro-membrane tube unit 3, at a desired flow rate, temperature,     stirring speed and a desired supersonic frequency, and then diffuses     into inside of the tubal reactor 2 via the micro-holes distributed     on the wall of the micro-membrane tube unit 3. The reaction occurs     immediately. -   (III) As the invention method is used to synthesize inorganic metal     oxides, the ration time in the tubal reactor for the reactive     solution is from 2 to 8 hours, giving the products flowed out from     outlet 11. And then the product (metal oxide precursor     nanoparticles) are filtered, washed with distilled water, dried in     air and calcined at desired temperature for 2-8 hours, giving     inorganic metal oxides nanoparticles. -   (IV) When the inventive method is used to prepare metal     nanoparticles, the reactive solution flows out from the outlet 11,     at which the concentration of reductant is 5-20 times as that of     metal components injected into the tubal reactor 2, giving a colloid     of metal nanoparticles with narrow metal particle size distribution.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tubal reactor 2 and other related equipments can be set up according to another way. The peristaltic pump 14, container 5 and tubal reactor 2 form a loop. An aqueous solution of metal precursor(s) with or without protective agent is recycled through the tubal reactor 2 and container 5, driven by a peristaltic pump 14.

In an embodiment of the invention, for the batch or tubal reactor 2, flow rate of the solution driven by measuring pump 6 is from 0.2 to 100 ml/min; the rotate speed of the stirrer is from 100 to 200 r/min; the supersonic frequency is from 60 to 120 KHz.

The approach of preparing inorganic metal oxide nano-powders and metal nanoparticles can be accomplished in another way: solution of precipitator or reductant is transferred into the reactor 2. Correspondingly, the solution of metal salts is kept in container 5 and injected by measuring pump 6 into the solution of precipitator or reductant via the micro-holes distributed on the wall of the micro-membrane tube unit 3.

In another embodiment of the invention, the solution of the metal precursor and protective agent is obtained by dissolving inorganic or organic metal salts of rare earth metals, alkaline-earth metals and transition group metals with protective agent in distilled water.

In a further embodiment the precipitation reagent are selected form the group consisting of NH₄OH, NaOH and oxalic acid.

In a further embodiment the reductants are selected from the group consisting of NaBH₄, N₂H₄.H₂O, N₂H₄, formaldehyde, Oxalic acid and Ascorbic acid.

The inorganic metal oxide nanopowders or metal nanoparticles prepared by this invention is small in size and uniform in narrow size distribution with low cost and ability in controlling the generation and growth of nanoparticles in the process of crystallization

Example 1

In this experiment, 51.2 g of Ce(NO₃)₃.6H₂O and 14.6 g of ZrONO₄ were dissolved in 300 ml distilled water and transferred into the batch reactor 2. The batch reactor 2 was dipped in an ultrasonic generator 4 at frequency of 60 KHz and temperature of 60° C. The rotate speed of the stirrer 1 is 100 r/min A desired amount of NH₄OH solution was injected into the lumens of membrane micro-tube unit 3 at a constant rate of 0.2 ml/min by a measuring pump 6 and then diffused into the mixture solution of Ce(NO₃)₃.6H₂O and ZrONO₄ via the micro-holes on the wall of membrane micro-tube unit 3 until the pH=10 of the solution in the batch reactor 2. The precipitation of metal oxide precursor (hydroxid) occurred, yielding a buff color precipitate. The precipitate was filtered, washed with distilled water, and dried in air at 110° C. for 10 hours, and then calcinated at 550° C. for 4 hours, giving the products of Ce_(0.6)Zr_(0.4)O₂ nanoparticles with particle size of 10 nm and specific surface area of 108 m²/g (FIG. 9). The Ce_(0.6)Zr_(0.4)O₂ nanoparticles prepared by the method described in the invention were smaller in size with narrow size distribution than the Ce_(0.6)Zr_(0.4)O₂ solid solution synthesized by common coprecipitate method (FIG. 10). The oxygen storage determined by H₂—O₂ titration of the former was larger (0.757 mmol/g) than that (0.357 mmol/g) of the later.

Example 2

In this experiment, 0.16 g of AgNO₃ and 60 g of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP, molecular weight is 30000) were dissolved in 300 ml distilled water and transferred into the batch reactor 2. 0.53 g of NaBH₄ was dissolved in 30 ml distilled water and transferred into the container 5. The batch reactor 2 was dipped in an ultrasonic bath 4 at frequency of 120 KHz and the temperature of 60° C. At same time, NaBH₄ solution was injected into the lumens of membrane micro-tube unit 3 at a constant rate of 1.2 ml/min by a measuring pump 6 and then diffused into the mixture solution of AgNO₃ and PVP via the micro-holes on the wall of membrane micro-tube unit 3. The rotate speed of the stirrer 1 is 200 r/min. The Ag nanoparticles with size of 5-8 nm (FIG. 11) were produced with uniform size distribution, which is smaller than that produced by common chemical reduction of AgNO₃ (FIG. 12)

Example 3

In this experiment, 0.836 g of HAuCl₄ and 24 g of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP, molecular weight is 30000) were dissolved in 500 ml distilled water, and then transferred into the batch reactor 2. 1.16 g of NaBH₄ was dissolved in 50 ml distilled water and transferred into the container 5. The batch reactor 2 was dipped in an ultrasonic generator (100 KHz) 4 at the temperature of 50° C. At same time, NaBH₄ solution was injected into the lumens of membrane micro-tube unit 3 at a constant rate of 1 ml/min by a measuring pump 6 and then diffused into the mixture solution of AgNO₃ and PVP via the micro-holes on the wall of membrane micro-tube unit 3, resulting the Au³⁺ reduction occurred. The rotate speed of the stirrer 1 is 150 r/min In the end of this process, the color of the solution turned to be wine-reddish color, giving the Au nanoparticles with quite narrow uniform size distribution. The average size of Au nanoparticles was 3.5 nm (FIG. 13).

Example 4

In this experiment 8.8 g of NaBH₄ was dissolved in 120 ml distilled water. 3.18 g of HAuCl₄, 3.75 g of RhCl₃ and 139 g of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP, molecular weight is 30000) were dissolved in 1000 ml distilled water. The solutions of NaBH₄ and metal salts (HAuCl₄ and RhCl₃) with PVP were transferred into the container 5 and batch reactor 2, respectively. The batch reactor 2 was dipped in an ultrasonic bath at frequency of 80 KHz and the temperature of 40° C. At same time, NaBH₄ solution was injected into the lumens of membrane micro-tube unit 3 at a constant rate of 3.5 ml/min by a measuring pump 6 and then diffused into the mixture solution of metal salts and PVP via the micro-holes on the wall of membrane micro-tube unit 3, resulting the Au³⁺ and Rh³⁺ reduction occurred. The rotate speed of the stirrer 1 is 100 r/min In the end of this process, the color of the solution turned to be brown-reddish color, giving the AuRh (Au:Rh=1:1) alloy nanoparticles with quite narrow uniform size distribution. The average size of AuRh (Au:Rh=1:1) alloy nanoparticles was 2 nm (FIG. 14).

Example 5

In this experiment, 1.0 g of NaBH₄ was dissolved in 50 ml DI water (indicated as solution A). 0.2 g of AgNO₃ and 1.2 g of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP, molecular weight is 30000) were dissolved in 200 ml distilled water (indicated as solution B). The solution A and B were transferred into the two containers 5 respectively. And then, solution B was recycled through the butal reactor 2 and the container 5, in which the solution B was stored, at flow rate of 600 ml/min driven by the peristaltic pump 14. The tubal reactor 2 was dipped in an ultrasonic generator 4 at frequency of 100 KHz and temperature of 40° C. At same time, solution A was inject into the lumens of membrane micro-tube unit 3 at a constant rate of 7 ml min⁻¹ by a measuring pump 6 and diffused into solution B via the micro-holes on the wall of membrane micro-tube unit 3, resulting the A_(g) ⁺ reduction occurred. In the end of this synthesis process, the color of the solution turned to be reddish, giving the Ag nanoparticles with quite narrow uniform size distribution. The average size of Ag nanoparticles was 6.5 nm (FIG. 15). 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A process of preparing inorganic metal oxides and metal nanoparticles using an apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises: a stirrer, a measuring pump, a reactor, a micro-membrane tube unit, a container, and an ultrasonic generator; wherein the micro-membrane tube unit is installed in the reactor, the reactor is coupled to the ultrasonic generator at a controlled temperature and frequency, the micro-membrane tube unit is connected via an inlet with the measuring pump that is linked to the container; wherein the process comprises: dissolving a desired metal precursor in distilled water in the presence or absence of a protective agent to form a solution of the desired metal precursor; transferring the solution of the desired metal precursor into the reactor; transferring a solution of reductant or precipitator into the container; injecting the solution of precipitator or reductant stored in the container into lumens of the micro-membrane tube unit via the measuring pump at a desired flow rate, temperature, stirring speed and a desired supersonic frequency, and then diffusing the solution of precipitator or reductant into inside of the reactor via micro-holes distributed on walls of the micro-membrane tube unit; carrying out a precipitation reaction for 2-8 hours, and then the precipitate being filtered, washed with distilled water, dried in air and calcined at desired temperature for 2-8 hours, giving the inorganic metal oxide nanoparticles, if this method is employed to produce metal oxides; or carrying out a reductive reaction until 5-20 times amount of reductant as that of metal ions is injected into the reactor, giving a colloid solution of metal nanoparticles with narrow metal particle size distribution, if the inventive method is used to prepare metal nanoparticles.
 12. The process of claim 11, wherein a flow rate of the solution driven by measuring pump is ranged from 0.2 to 100 ml/min; a rotate speed of the stirrer is from 100 to 200 r/min; a supersonic frequency is from 60 to 120 KHz.
 13. The process of claim 11, wherein the solution of precipitator or reductant is transferred into the reactor, correspondingly, the solution of metal salts diffuses via micro-holes distributed on the wall of the micro-membrane tube unit into the solution of precipitator or reductant stored in the reactor.
 14. The process of claim 11, wherein the metal precursor solution is obtained by dissolving inorganic or organic salts of alkaline-earth metals, rare earth metals and transition group metals in distilled water, the precipitator is selected from the group consisting of NH₄OH, NaOH and Oxalic acid, and the reductants are selected from the group consisting of NaBH₄, N₂H₄.H₂O, N₂H₄, formaldehyde, Oxalic acid and Ascorbic acid. 